5 lessons governments can learn to build stronger laws that combat modern slavery

When it comes to addressing forced labour, real progress happens when the law demands action.

Walk Free and Wikirate’s latest analysis of corporate disclosures across France, Germany, and Norway shows that mandatory human rights due diligence (mHRDD) laws drive stronger corporate responses to forced labour.

This is in contrast to the transparency-only regimes in the UK and Australia.

Not all due diligence laws are created equal. The differences between these European frameworks reveal what makes a stronger impact.

They offer important lessons for governments developing or reforming their own responsible business conduct laws.

There are 5 important actions for governments worldwide to ensure modern slavery laws protect workers, not just reputations.

When obligations are clear and specific, companies act. Germany’s law requires companies to disclose exploitation incidents, resulting in twice as many reports as in France or Norway, where this is not mandated

This shows that strong, precise rules lead to better corporate transparency and accountability.

To make a real impact, laws must include measurable requirements across every stage of due diligence, from identifying risks to reporting on how they are addressed and remediated.

Without detail, even the strongest legislation risks becoming a box-ticking exercise.

Even under Europe’s strongest due diligence laws, forced labour often gets lost under broader human rights categories.

Only a small number of companies identified incidents specifically as modern slavery or forced labour, showing that the issue can easily be overlooked.

For laws to be effective, they must explicitly reference modern slavery and forced labour.

Naming these abuses ensures companies report consistently and governments can better track progress in eliminating exploitation across global supply chains.

Many companies disclose exploitation incidents but provide limited information on what occurred, where it happened, or how workers were supported.
This creates a transparency paradox where firms appear compliant on paper but reveal little about real-world impact.
To close this gap, laws must require meaningful detail in corporate reporting.
Governments should ensure companies disclose how incidents are addressed, what remediation was provided, and whether affected workers’ rights have been restored.

Most companies report having grievance or whistleblowing mechanisms in place.

Few companies explain how these are communicated to workers, whether they are genuinely accessible, or how meaningful remedy is achieved when exploitation occurs.

Stronger laws are needed to ensure grievance mechanisms are safe, accessible, and effective.

Workers must be aware of and able to use grievance mechanisms safely, with remediation focused on restoring rights rather than reputations.

Mandatory due diligence laws only work when governments are willing and able to enforce them.

Without timely, well-resourced enforcement, even strong laws lose their power.

Regulators must be equipped to investigate, penalise, and guide companies, ensuring consequences are swift and certain for those who fail to act.

Mandatory due diligence laws are a clear step forward from transparency-only models like those in Australia and the UK.

But for real impact, they must be detailed, enforced, and centred on workers.

As more countries move to strengthen corporate accountability, governments must ensure future laws go beyond awareness.

By setting clear obligations, explicitly addressing modern slavery, and ensuring strong enforcement, they can turn corporate promises into real protection for people.

Read the full Beyond Compliance report to learn more.